How much sugar do you really eat?

Sweet tooth? It could be far sweeter than you think, thanks to the increasing amount of sugar that manufacturers are quietly adding to our everyday foods. And tooth decay and weight gain aren't the only health problems we risk as a result.

Sweet tooth? It could be far sweeter than you think, thanks to the increasing amount of sugar that manufacturers are quietly adding to our everyday foods. And tooth decay and weight gain aren't the only health problems we risk as a result.

The scary truth is that health experts believe even those of us who don't take sugar in tea or eat lots of sweets may be consuming far more sugar than is healthy.

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For example, a shocking report by Which? recently revealed that some savoury foods on our shelves contain more sugar than ice cream - and that ready meals, breakfast cereals and even low-fat 'diet' ranges are often packed with it.

Another recent report found that, over the past 30 years, food manufacturers have doubled the amount of sugar they add to products.

Yet most of us are blissfully unaware that we're eating more of the sweet stuff than ever.

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It's not just our teeth and our weight that are being put at risk by hidden sugars.

A growing number of studies and experts are linking sugar to accelerated ageing, obesity and related diseases, not to mention cancer. It's time we realised that we (and our food) are sweet enough already.

The crunch

The truth began to come to light last summer, when researchers from the Medical Research Council and the University of Cambridge developed a new urine test that allowed them to measure sugar consumption for the first time.

They found that obese people dramatically underestimated the amount of sugar they consumed each day; those who ate the most consumed as much as 207g a day - that's nearly 52 spoonfuls and four times the recommended daily limit - hidden in everyday foods.

The sucrose shown in their urine is mostly found in table sugar, processed foods, cakes, biscuits and soft drinks.

Previous studies hadn't demonstrated such a strong link between sugar consumption and obesity (because they tended to rely on self-reporting).

State-registered dietitian Susan Price, spokesperson for the British Dietetic Association, says: 'In general, people have focused on fat because of the calorie content and the link with heart disease.'

Indeed, the Food Standards Agency's latest survey of attitudes to food shows that the percentage of people concerned about their sugar intake fell between 2006 and 2007.

'Sugar is made up of empty calories,' says Price. 'Foods high in sugar are generally not filling and can become habit forming. And the fact that so many foods contain hidden sugars makes it all the more difficult, and worrying, for consumers.'

Sugar addict

What's more, research has indicated that sugar may be addictive.

When researchers at Princeton University, US, fed rats a diet that was high in sugar, they noticed that the rats became anxious when the sugar was removed, and experienced symptoms similar to the withdrawal symptoms of smokers or morphine users - chattering teeth and the shakes, for example.

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Other studies on rats at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine, US, found that when the pleasurable feelings invoked by the brain chemicals that are released as a response to the consumption of sweet, salty and fatty foods were replicated using synthetic chemicals, the animals ate up to six times their normal intake of those foods.

Diabetes risk

Since eating a lot of sugar makes you likely to put on weight, it can also increase your risk of diabetes.

One study in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that women who drank one or more sugar-laden drinks a day, having previously consumed one or less a week, almost doubled their risk of Type-2 diabetes compared with those who drank fewer than one sugary drink a week.

It's thought that a sugary diet increases calorie consumption and weight gain - linked to Type-2 diabetes - resulting in unhealthy spikes in blood glucose, which can lead to insulin resistance, a condition that often precedes diabetes.

Getting your fix from sugar substitutes may not be the answer, either; one study published in the International Journal of Obesity suggests that consuming lots of high-calorie sugary drinks alongside 'diet' drinks may confuse your body's appetite control centre - and actually lead to overeating.

Cancer concern

However, perhaps the most worrying link is that between high sugar intake and cancer.

One recent major European study found that women with the highest blood sugar levels increased their chance of developing cancers such as those of the pancreas, skin, womb and urinary tract by 26 per cent.

Another new study conducted in Sweden and published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition suggests that drinking two or more sugary drinks a day can increase your risk of pancreatic cancer by 90 per cent, while people who add sugar to their food and drink at least five times a day are at a 70 per cent increased risk of the disease.

Research also shows that eating a lot of sugar increases the oxidative stress in your body - the free-radical havoc that damages healthy cells and can lead to premature ageing and cancer.

A wealth of research has linked a diet high in starchy foods such as potatoes, rice and white bread with an increased risk of pancreatic cancer. While not sugary foods per se, they are rapidly converted into sugar in your body - which requires excess insulin to help process the sugars in foods.

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Grains of time

It isn't only the link to chronic disease that's giving the scientists cause for concern.

Anti-ageing experts have long regarded sugar as a no-no, noting that its by-products are harmful molecules known as AGEs – advanced glycation end products.

'Blood sugar reacts with the minerals in your body, such as iron and copper, creating free radicals, which then attack your cells. These cause damage such as wrinkles and accelerated ageing.'

It's not just the visible signs of ageing that are the problem, either. One study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition indicated that sugary and starchy food may be linked to age-related macular degeneration, which can lead to blindness in rare cases.

And new studies on mice have linked a high intake of sugary drinks (the equivalent of about five drinks a day) to poor learning ability and memory retention, as well as other conditions associated with age-related mental deterioration – particularly Alzheimer's.

'When oxidised, it encourages plaque deposits in our arterial lining. These deposits cause the blood vessels to clog, leading to coronary heart disease.'

Add to this the hormonal imbalances, hypertension, depression and hypoglycaemia associated with high intakes of sugar and you can see why there's nothing sweet about it!

Sweet enough

So how much sugar do you have to eat to be eating too much?

According to the British Dietetic Association, the recommended intake of 'added sugars' - such as honey, fruit juice, jam, soft drinks and those in processed food, as well as the sugar you add to food - is 10 per cent of your total daily calorie intake.

That's about 50g a day for those on 2,000 calories. (One level teaspoon of sugar weighs 4g and contains 16 calories.)

Official figures issued by the Department For Environment, Food And Rural Affairs (DEFRA) show we're way off this target, with 12 per cent of the average British woman's energy intake coming from added sugars – that's about 2.5 extra teaspoons a day. (Women on low incomes eat an average of four extra teaspoons.)

Other experts believe the true picture may be worse still. DEFRA estimates that if we were to cut our added sugar intake by 1.75 per cent of energy a day, 3,500 premature deaths could be prevented each year.

Sugar guidelines

Want to work out how your own diet shapes up? As a general guide, says Price: 'Foods containing more than 15g sugars per 100g are high in sugar; low is 5g sugars or less per 100g.'

You'll find this information on food labels under the heading 'carbohydrates from sugars'.

If you want to get even more technical, get your calculator out:

divide the grams of 'carbohydrates from sugars' on the item of food by four to get the number of teaspoons

aim for no more than 12 teaspoons a day.

It pays to be aware of portion size, too - jam may be high in sugar, but you don't have to give it up provided you have only a small amount.

But, as Price says: 'A 500ml bottle of cola, on the other hand, may contain as much as 50g – or about 13tsp of sugar.'

Avoid your sugar traps

Once you have a clearer idea of where your personal sugar traps lie, start to make some sensible swaps to reduce your intake.

'Swap canned fruit in syrup for those in juice and go for carbonated water with fruit juice added rather than sugary drinks.

'Fructose [the sugar in fruit] doesn't cause the same rapid rise - and then drop - in blood sugar as sucrose [the sugar found in processed foods such as cakes]. Natural fructose is absorbed slower. Fruit also provides plenty of vitamins, minerals and fibre.'

Watch out for brown sugar, too; it may contain slightly higher levels of a few minerals, such as potassium and magnesium, but otherwise it's just as short on protein and vitamins as the white stuff.

The materials in this web site are in no way intended to replace the professional medical care, advice, diagnosis or treatment of a doctor. The web site does not have answers to all problems. Answers to specific problems may not apply to everyone. If you notice medical symptoms or feel ill, you should consult your doctor - for further information see our Terms and conditions.

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